Night Lantern Izakaya · Starters

Pan-Fried Pork & Cabbage Dumplings with Chili Vinegar

Name: Pan-Fried Pork & Cabbage Dumplings with Chili Vinegar
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 300 g Ground pork; 200 g Napa cabbage; 0.5 tsp Salt; 3 whole Green onions; 15 g Fresh ginger; 2 clove Garlic; 3 tbsp Soy sauce; 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp Cornstarch; 0.25 tsp Ground white pepper; 24 whole Round dumpling wrappers; 2 tbsp Neutral oil; 120 ml Water, for steaming; 3 tbsp Rice vinegar; 1 tsp Chili oil

Gyoza-style dumplings filled with juicy pork, napa cabbage, ginger and green onion, pan-fried until the bottoms are golden and crackly, then steamed tender. Served with a sharp chili-vinegar dip.

60 minutes · Medium · 4 servings

Original house recipe · Not yet kitchen-tested

Ingredients

Ground pork300 g
Napa cabbage200 g
Salt0.5 tsp
Green onions3 whole
Fresh ginger15 g
Garlic2 clove
Soy sauce3 tbsp
Toasted sesame oil1 tsp
Cornstarch1 tsp
Ground white pepper0.25 tsp
Round dumpling wrappers24 whole
Neutral oil2 tbsp
Water, for steaming120 ml
Rice vinegar3 tbsp
Chili oil1 tsp

Quantities describe recipe usage, not package sizes.

Allergen notes

Wheat (wrappers, soy sauce), soy (soy sauce) and sesame (sesame oil). Check wrapper labels for egg.

Method

Salt the cabbage

Very finely chop the cabbage, toss it with the salt and leave for 10 minutes. Gather it in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much water as you can.

Mix the filling

In a bowl, combine the pork, cabbage, finely sliced green onions, grated ginger and garlic, 1 tbsp of the soy sauce, the sesame oil, cornstarch and white pepper. Stir hard in one direction for about 1 minute, until the mixture turns sticky. Wash your hands after handling raw pork.

Fold the dumplings

Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Wet the edge with a fingertip of water, fold it into a half-moon and pinch the top closed, then make 4–5 small pleats along one side, pressing to seal. Set on a lightly floured tray and keep covered with a tea towel while you fold the rest.

Fry, then steam until safe

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non-stick skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 12 dumplings flat-side down and fry for 2 minutes, until the bottoms are golden. Pour in 60 ml water and immediately cover. Steam for 6–7 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the filling of a test dumpling reads 71°C (160°F). Uncover and cook 1 minute more to re-crisp the bottoms. Repeat with the remaining oil, water and dumplings.

Make the dip and serve

Stir the rice vinegar, remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce and chili oil together in a small bowl. Serve the dumplings crispy-side up with the dip.

Freeze extra uncooked dumplings on the floured tray, then bag them once solid. Cook from frozen exactly the same way, adding 2–3 minutes to the steaming time and checking the 71°C.

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